US Military Role In Syria Over Chemical Attack

The President of U.S Donald Trump said on Thursday that they had carried out a missile attack in Syria in response to the Syrian Government’s chemical attack this week, which killed more than 80 people. President Trump said, “Tonight, I ordered a targeted military strike on the air base in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched. It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons.” The President was accompanied by senior advisors like Stephen K. Bannon (Chief Strategist), Reince Priebus (Chief of Staff), his daughter Ivanka Trump and some other important persons in taking the decision. The President also said that they had to take the decision as he believes that the World communities failed to give an effective response to the Syrian civil war.

Referring to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, the U.S President said, “Years of previous attempts at changing Assad’s behavior have all failed and failed very dramatically.” “As a result, the refugee crisis continues to deepen, and the region continues to destabilize, threatening the United States and its allies,” he added. According to the nytimes.com, the Pentagon declared that 59 Tomahawk missiles had been fired at the Al Shayrat airfield in Syria, and it was aimed at Syrian fighter jets, radar equipment, hardened aircraft shelters, air defense systems, ammunition bunkers and sites for storing fuels. According to the news agency RIA, the spokesperson of Russia President Vladimir V. Putin, Dmitri S. Peskov said to the reporters on Friday morning that “strike deals a significant blow to relations between Russia and America, which are already in a poor state.” Peskov also said that the strike did nothing to battle international terrorism. “On the contrary, this creates a serious obstacle for the building of an international coalition to fight it and to effectively resist this universal evil,” he added.

The Pentagon spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis said that the Russian forces had been informed before the actual strike taken off. “Military planners took precautions to minimize risk to Russian or Syrian personnel located at the airfield,” he added. According to the military officials, no Russian aircraft were at the base. “We are assessing the results of the strike. Initial indications are that this strike has severely damaged or destroyed Syrian aircraft and support infrastructure and equipment at Shayrat airfield, reducing the Syrian government’s ability to deliver chemical weapons,” Captain Davis added. These cruise missiles struck the airfield at around 8.40 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, and the strikes nonstop remained for three to four minutes. The governor of Homs Province Talal Barazi told Reuters on Friday that the ambulances and fire trucks were moving quickly to act in response to fires there.

The Secretary of state Rex W. Tillerson told reporters in Florida, “This clearly indicates the president is willing to take decisive action when called for.” He also said that President Trump said after seeing the results of the chemical attack that the United States could no longer turn away and turn a blind eye. “The more we fail to respond to the use of these weapons, the more we begin to normalize their use,” Tillerson added, referencing from President Barack Obama’s decision to avoid doing from strikes in 2013. He also added that U.S had not informed Russia President Putin and President Trump had not spoken with him in the hours later. The Administration officials said after being informed briefly of the chemical attack, American intelligence agencies and their allies quickly started working to confirm the cause of the chemical attack. The President called together a meeting of his senior members of National Security Council next day in Washington, where military presented him three options to revert. According to the Officials, the president Trump asked them some questions and directed them to focus on two of the three options.

According to a Military official, the attack was more at the limited end of the military options presented to President Trump on Thursday by the defense secretary Jim Mattis. He also said that it was planned to give a signal to Mr. Assad that the United States’ intention to use military forces if they continue to use chemical weapons in future. The McMaster said that the missile strikes would not eliminate Assad’s ability to use weapons, but it will definitely humiliate it. He also added that the military wanted to ensure minimize risk to citizens of other countries, especially Russia, which could be in the area at the time. The speed in which Trump administration responded, it looks like that the government will not take any attack casually in the United States. The working style of Trump is purely contrary from the style of Obama. So far, it’s the most important order of the Trump for the use of forces as virtually all of his administration’s other operations in Syria, Iran and Yemen have been carried out under consent of Commanders. Late on Thursday night, President Trump recorded and quickly broadcasted his remarks to the world and announced his decision. “We ask for God’s wisdom as we face the challenge of our very troubled world,” President Trump solemnly said. “We pray for the lives of the wounded and for the souls of those who passed. And we hope as long as America stands for justice, and then peace and harmony will in the end prevail,” he added.